Mitchell Sjerven The Mayor of Downtown Dining hile finishing

his studies in international law

As

an intern at the European Parliament, Mitchell Sjerven had an epiphany: “I was working for a human rights lawyer from the UK and realized that most of the law was centered on problems and conflicts and bad news… I realized my personality was better suited to the good news industries. That said, I’ve gained a lot of respect for those in the professions such as law.” Sjerven decided then and there that the restaurant industry was what made him happy, and for the past 31 years, mostly in Santa Barbara that’s exactly what he’s been doing. He’s worked every position in the house, from dishwasher to line cook to host to head waiter. The only thing he’s never been is a chef… then again, he’s hired dozens of them over the years. Sjerven has conceptualized and opened four world-class restaurants in Santa Barbara and been a consultant to many more. He’s served on numerous civic boards including three terms of three years each for the Convention Bureau, as president twice and marketing director once. He was the restaurant liaison to the Greater Santa Barbara Lodging and Restaurant Association and served two terms as Commissioner for the Santa Barbara Events and Festivals Commission. Some industry insiders refer to him as the “Mayor of downtown dining,” indeed, a leader and a major advocate to the ever-growing Santa Barbara restaurant scene. When he’s not working his typical 60-80 hour shift at his current restaurants, Wine Cask and Bouchon, you’ll most likely catch him kicked back in a comfortable chair with a glass of wine waxing eloquently about the industry he loves and where it is going.

You’ve dined at restaurants all over the globe. What’s your favorite(s)? many of the ‘top’ restaurants in the world— french Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s and el Bulli— make most ‘Best Restaurants’ list and collectively serve as a sort of ‘foodie bucket list’. my favorite restaurants, though, are those I really cannot wait to return to… not necessarily because the food was the greatest of all time, but rather that they succeeded in creating an environment that transports you to another place.

Have you brought any of that experience back to your own restaurants?

Absolutely. Like any business owner, regardless of profession, I am constantly looking at ways to be better at what I do. I see innovation everywhere and never fail to bring back ideas on service improvements, perhaps a detail that improves some aspect of the dining experience or a manner in which to present something classic in a new and exciting way. Some of my favorites over the years include the guest check presenter at Gotham Bar & Grill in NY, which was custom-printed and cut on the inside for the insertion of the restaurant business card and the guests credit card. It also doubles as a gift certificate and printed restaurant recipe holder. The offer of a lap blanket at a restaurant in Portland and perhaps my all-time favorite, the use of frosted glassware for sparkling water and clear for still water so staff would never pour the wrong water in the wrong glass.

The hotel experience is another fertile field for harvesting equally useful ideas on how to improve service that easily transfer to the restaurant level. At Bouchon and Wine Cask we refer to the level of service we strive to offer as ‘Concierge Level’ service. What this means in practice is that we are willing, and staff is enabled, to exceed guest expectations when responding to requests for information. Questions about recipes are met with printed copies and well-wishes on the results, help on how to get from here-to-there is provided in the form of printed directions and queries about which wineries to visit are met with a free copy of the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Association map with several circled recommendations based on the wines they enjoyed that evening in the restaurant.

If you could open a restaurant in any city in the world besides SB, where would it be?

There are very few places that rival the unique beauty and special character of Santa Barbara but of those I’ve visited Sydney, Australia is at the top. While much bigger, Sydney still has a certain charm even while providing all the trappings of a big city. Proximity to wine country and a newlydiscovered passion for exciting food make it a sister city in my mind. I could also see much later in my career a small bistro in the South of france—cliché, I know, but the simplicity of ingredients while maintaining a reverence for ingredients, a pace that matches my philosophy on the enjoyment of food, the storied wine history and the love of language all make it a popular fantasy.

What makes a great chef?

A truly great chef is one who can effectively communicate exactly what the processes are to achieve the standards that kitchen has set to the staff. A far too common question in the restaurant business has always been ‘is the chef in tonight?’ If you are open for business there should be no drop in quality based on who is on staff that night. I love the respect Julia Child always paid the profession, correcting anyone that referred to her as ‘Chef’ by indicating she was not a ‘chef’ but rather a ‘cook’. “A chef” Julia would say “is someone who runs a professional kitchen and has a staff to manage”. This requires a firm grasp of the culinary techniques you expect your staff to employ and the patience to oversee, correct and nuture talent—not scream at your ‘underlings’, as portrayed often on ‘reality’ TV.

What makes a great server?

easy. Know when to be there and when to not. Ultimately, the first job as a server is to read your guest and respond to their individual needs. You have to be a chameleon. Are they deep in conversation? Keep the interruptions to a minimum and earn praise for unobtrusive service. have they asked a litany of food and wine questions before even placing their order? Be the encyclopedia that can provide expert and accurate descriptions of the menu and wine list. Start by introducing themselves and want to know ‘what you plan on doing with your life’? make new friends and enjoy the lovely comment card they leave on what a wonderful person you are.

What makes a great wine?

In a word, balance. Too much is never a good thing—think heavy-handed on the oak or over extracted fruit bomb—but less is not always more, either. many in the industry now are influenced by the formidable power of the media to shape purchasing decisions in a major way via the scoring systems that influence much of the general public. This has many otherwise reasonable wine makers to follow the trends and scores, which swing like a pendulum over time, instead of letting the grapes speak to them. one of my favorite phrases former Chef Charlie fredericks liked to use at Bouchon was ‘if you listen hard enough the food will tell you how to cook it.’ In this way wine making and cooking have a very strong bond—quality ingredients not over-handled. melville wine maker Greg Brewer often refers to careful selection of perfect grapes and their subsequent handling as being the sushi chef who works with ‘toro’ or tuna belly: don’t drown it in soy and mask it with wasabi.

In many countries gratuity is included in the price. do you think the U.S. is headed that way? Possibly, but I doubt it. Some of the very highend, consistently busy restaurants in the U.S. have gone to a service charge instead of a standard gratuity, primarily to shrink the income gap between kitchen and service staff, but this is not a trend with legs yet. Charlie Trotter’s began his eponymous Chicago restaurant with the belief that if all staff were earning the same, say, $50,000/year that they’d work well as a team and (continued on page 62)